To celebrate the 100th anniversary of World Thinking Day, hundreds of our young members from Ayrshire took part in a large lantern parade across Ayr.  

Thinking Day is a chance for Girlguiding Scotland members to think about and connect with over 10 million Girl Guides and Scouts across the globe. But, for some young members, taking part was only possible from a grant from Girlguiding Scotland’s Good Guiding Fund. 

The 3rd Mauchline Brownie Unit were just one of the units who received support from the fund for this purpose. They were granted £500 to go towards materials for lanterns, and travel expenses to get to Ayr’s lantern parade. 

The colourful event brought together young people, families, leaders and supporters from across Ayrshire to celebrate friendship and international unity, which are key themes at the heart of the global guiding movement. Young members, including the 3rd Mauchline Brownie Unit, carried lanterns as they paraded through the square, creating a vibrant and uplifting atmosphere. 

Unit leader Annette shared, “I have been a leader for more than 40 years and have taken part in many celebrations and know how much this has meant to the girls and hope it will be a Girlguiding experience they will remember for a long time. 

“Before the event I had talked to the girls about the event and explained the whole county would be involved. But they had never been to a Girlguiding event of this size so were surprised to see the amount of Girlguiding members there.  

“As we turned the corner towards the meeting point and saw so many girls already lined up with their lanterns our girls gasped and I heard one say, “wow I didn’t know there would be this many people here!” 

“The girls sung the whole way on the parade down the High Street and up to Wellington Square and the support of the parents and friends lining the route was terrific. As we arrived at the final point dusk was just coming down and the lanterns looked great, they were so effective. 

“Everything was exciting, from making the lanterns to taking part in the parade and I am so happy for the leaders who had the dream and made it happen. 

We appreciate that the Good Guiding Fund has given us the opportunity to take part in this event.” 

The Good Guiding Fund is available to units, districts and divisions across Scotland and supports good quality local guiding. This can mean providing funding for rent and subscriptions to uniform and resources or trips in Scotland or beyond. The fund is supported by The Gannochy Trust, and opens twice per year.

Applications for this round close on Sunday so now’s your chance to learn more and apply.